Always and Forever
by OvercastKidd
Summary: crossover between Bitten and The Originals. Following the Story of Elle (original character) and her loyalties to her Pack and her love for the Mikaelson family and trying to find the balance in between
1. Chapter 1

"We free Niklaus tonight…end of discussion." Elijah finished dabbing the handkerchief around his mouth and stood, glancing at each of us standing there. I couldn't have agreed more with him, it had been five years since I'd laid eyes on the keeper of my heart and I didn't want to waste another moment. "Let's go then, I've been away from my daughter long enough." Hayley was getting frustrated, I didn't blame her. It had just been the three of us for so long that it was killing me not being with Hope too. We drove the final few miles to the outskirts of New Orleans, a place we had called home just a few years before that now seemed so foreign, so empty.

 ***a few hours later***

I sat basically glued to his side, only taking my eyes off him for a few glances at Hayley, silently communicating with her how relieved and equally terrified I was at this precise moment in time. The drive home was silent, we were all shattered and utterly drained. Getting back to the farm house, the home Hayley and I had forced ourselves to create for Hope seemed to take forever, when we finally pulled into the drive we let out a collective sigh of relief. Nik shifted slightly beside me, I watched as the rest of our extremely fucked up family exited the car and went to do the same myself; feeling his hand clasp around my wrist stopping me. He pulled me towards him, placing is forehead to my own. "Tell me this isn't another trick of the mind Elle, tell me that you're truly here." The desperation in his voice was breaking my heart. The only thing I could do was wrap my arms around his neck and kiss him, hoping that this was enough to show him how I felt and how real it all was. We followed everyone else into the house a few minutes later. I led everyone to their respective rooms, leaving Hayley and Niklaus to talk and check in on their daughter. Deciding I would leave everyone in peace I walked towards the kitchen, I needed to run. It had been weeks since I had properly changed, I hadn't run with my pack in over 2 months. Grabbing my cell phone I quickly dialled my alphas and best friends number. _"Elena hey, it's Elle. We got out of Nola okay, well as okay as we can be. I'm thinking of coming back home for a few days. Leave the Mikaelsons to get reacquainted with each other…let Niklaus get to know his daughter. Can you ask Nicky to pick me up at the airport if he's free? I'll be there tomorrow evening. Text me when you get this. Love you."_ I hit the end call button. I hated leaving voicemails they were so cold. 5 minutes later my phone pinged with an email 'your flight confirmation and check in details…1 way ticket to Bear Valley, New York.' I quickly scratched a note to say I would be back in a few days and to call if anyone needed anything. Grabbing my overnight bag from the closet I crept out of the house and into the night.

At the heart of the forest I stashed my bag and clothes into a hollowed out tree trunk. Breathing in the night air I prepared myself for the change, feeling my skin start to stretch and my limbs extend. Flexing my paws into the earth beneath me I set off at a run, leaping over fallen trees and rocks that dared be in my path. Revelling in the sound of panicked forest creatures scurrying for safety. After a while I tired of running with out purpose, I needed to chase something, needed to hunt. Slowing down and sticking my nose in the air I breathed in the scents of the night, I could taste my target already. A little ways to the north, heading the long way round so as to mask my own sent I moved towards it quietly. The rabbits ears pricked up just as I leapt and sank my teeth into it, shaking for good measure. I carried my prize up to a ledge overlooking the valley. I lay down, and began tearing strips from the rabbit, the human in me was a little disgusted that I'd just killed Thumper, the wolf was savouring every morsel. I heard the smallest crack of twig branch in the forest behind me. My hackles began to rise and I sprang to my feet, my teeth bared. The blonde wolf slinked from the trees to my lookout. Dropping another rabbit at my feet and thumping himself down in the spot I had been lying, helping himself to the remnants of my catch. I picked up the fresh one and proceeded to make myself comfortable beside him, making sure I was as close to him as I could be. When in wolf form the only communication we really had was reading body language, and understanding the tone or pitch of a whimper or howl. After a while when we'd finished our snack, I felt him nudge my neck, pushing me to get up. When I didn't move and he was already on his own feet I got a quick nip on the shoulder and I could see his tail wag quickly before he ran into the trees. I followed suit, not wanting him to get the better of me. We played chase for a while before I lost sight and scent of him. I crept to the edge of a clearing, and watched as he changed back into human form. Niklaus Mikaelson truly was a magnificent being. I found a spot to change and quietly made my way back to the clearing…he was gone. Pinned to the tree where my clothes were was a note.

 _Thank you for never giving up on me._  
 _For helping Hayley to raise my beautiful little girl._  
 _I know you need time to process everything._  
 _Know that I will wait however long it takes._

 _Forever yours,_

 _Klaus_

I smiled, he knew me better than I knew myself at times. I dressed quickly and made my way to my motorbike hidden in a run down bothie. Pulling my bag on to my back I headed to the airport.

 ***The following week***

"When's Aunt Elle coming home Mom?" Hope put the paintbrush down and glanced up at her mother. Hayley faltered, trying to find her words. Truth be told she had no idea, Elle had just up and left without saying goodbye. Just a note saying she'd gone to Stonehaven, that she'd be back soon. "I don't know baby but hopefully soon. You can FaceTime her before you go to bed though. Now go get your lil butt into the bath and get ready for bed." Hayley squeezed the 7year old into quick hug before turning to face the man who was leaning on the doorframe behind her. "You truly are exquisite Ms Marshall. I don't know what I did to deserve you in my life." He cleared the distance between them in a few seconds taking her in his arms and locking their lips together in a slow, deep kiss. He swept her to the bedroom, throwing her to the bed, pressing his lips to hers once more. "HAYLEY!" Klaus roared from the other room. "HAYLEY!" The vampiric speed couldn't have got Hayley through the door quicker. Niklaus stood with a limp Hope in his arms looking horror struck.

 ***Meanwhile in Stonehaven***

I had made the decision to go back home tomorrow. I just needed to run once more with my pack, to mess about in the woods, and just generally be the werewolf I was without fear of getting caught or running into rouge vampires who thought we were nothing but playthings. It had been different in New Orleans; the Mikaelsons, the Original vampires had been careful to protect the little remnants of the Crescent pack that was left. Purely because that's what Hayley wanted, they were after all her family, Hopes family. However when Nik was held captive, and Elijah, Kol and Rebekah indisposed; there had been an uprising and it was becoming sport for some scum to hunt us like common animals and tear families apart. We hid ourselves, making sure to only change when we either had to or were completely safe to do so. There are two types of werewolf, something a lot of people didn't realise. There's hereditary, like Hayley and Niklaus. They come from generations of wolves, only activating the curse if they kill someone. Then there was me, Elena and Clay. We were bitten, resulting in one hell of a lifestyle change; often with little success as the first change is for want of a better word…hell. In all honesty I had been tortured before, it was nothing compared to my first change. Over the years I'd learnt how to change with ease, I could even part change now and that was handy with the aforementioned rogue vampires; werewolf venom only had one known cure and Klaus only gave up his blood for those that he loved and those that would serve him purpose. I pounced onto Clay, pinning him for a split second. Who was I kidding he was twice as big as me and infinitely stronger. A playful nip and he rolled me off of him with ease. We ran until the moon was at its full height, our energy spent we lay in a mossy clearing. This was exactly what I needed. No searching for cures for unknown poisons, no hunting for the venom or blood of mysterious near extinct wolf packs, no sneaking around. Just being free. The following morning I woke up a tangle of limbs. I smiled to myself, content.

We raced back to the house, it wasn't nearly as easy on two legs as it was on four. Pulling my shirt over my head I sat at the kitchen counter, snatching the coffee pot out of Nickys hand and sticking my tongue out. I had just set my mug down when a ball of flame appeared on the counter, a piece of paper appearing in the ashes.

 _Somethings wrong with Hope, we have to go back to New Orleans._  
 _You don't have to come. Will call with more news._

 _Freya_

Clay drove me to the airport at breakneck speed. The pack knew full well I'd lay my life down for Hope, she was everything to me. Knew better than to argue with me. What happened over the following month was a whirlwind, teaming up with our enemies to defeat something that I struggled to comprehend. The Hollow tried to take everything from us, tried to take Hope. When Vincent came to us with a solution, one that would literally tear our family apart. There was no questioning whether we would go along with it or not. So I said my goodbyes to Elijah, Kol and Rebekah and stood back helpless, as Vincent alongside the powers of his ancestors and Freya worked their magic. The entity that was the Hollow was expelled from Hope and quartered, a piece latching onto 4 of the 5 Mikaelson siblings. They would never be able to see each other again and most importantly could never be near Hope again or all would be lost. It broke my heart knowing that they would never see her grow up. Nik had missed so much of her life already it was horrible to think that the two years and 1 month he had had with her was all he'd ever get. It was over, Vincent shouted at them to leave, Elijah took one last, pained and mournful look at Hayley before turning and leaving at Vampiric speed. I followed suit heading to the abandoned ruin of the Mikaelsons old home. Fifteen minutes later I was joined by Marcel, Elijah, Vincent and Freya. The plan was to compel Elijah to forget his family, forget about the pact they had made hundreds of years ago to always stick together because no matter what happened they couldn't break, could never come to each others aide. The results would be nothing short of catastrophic.

 ***A Few Hours Later***

I boarded the plane, my latte in hand I couldn't wait to get back to Stonehaven, New Orleans had given me no leads on who had been trying to round up wolves. There was a weird feeling in my gut that I was leaving so much behind, yet this was the first time I'd ever visited the place. I shrugged it off, figuring it was just my love of the culture and diversity. "Hey darlin' good flight?" Clay gave me a hug as I got into the car. "Yeah was fine, glad to be home though." "Of course you are, you're a pack animal…every pun intended." He laughed away to himself. I just rolled my eyes at him. "Oh my god, Clayton Danvers your dad jokes keep getting worse, I feel so sorry for the twins." He just laughed more and carried on driving. I leaned back and watched the world go by, the feelings i'd had leaving New Orleans still playing on my mind.

After we had eaten dinner I debriefed Elena and the rest of the Pack on what I'd found out or rather how little I'd found. They nodded and questioned. Not wanting bore everyone with the cheesy personal aspect of my trip I left it to later and discussed it with Elena over a glass of wine. We chalked it up to the city itself and decided we'd both visit in the future, girls weekend. I excused myself and went to bed, hunting for my phone as I got into bed. God damn it! I must have left it on the plane just my damn luck. Making a mental note to call the airline in the morning I settled into bed and drifted off to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

My night was plagued with strange dreams, faces I didn't know. At one point I was at a cliff edge and people were gripping on for dear life, but every time I reached to save them they were pulled further away by an unknown force, their faces getting gradually more unrecognisable. I woke up with a start, drenched in sweat. The clock on my nightstand read 4:15am, great I'd barely even had 3 hours sleep. Heading for the bathroom I turned the shower on as hot as I could bare and stood under the water trying in vain to clear my mind. I heard the door open and then close again. "Whats up?" He asked while wrapping the towel round me and putting an arm around my shoulders guiding me to the edge of the bath to sit. I smirked, of course Nicky would have heard me get up, I had the best hearing in the pack yes, but Nicholas Sorrentino was a very close second. "Odd dreams, and couldn't get back over. So decided to go for a shower." I shrugged at him, not sure how to explain what else was going through my head, how did I explain the ache in my chest, the longing to dive after those that had fallen. The unknown, nameless souls who had been lost to me and my dream. I must have been quiet longer than I realised, because he was staring at me then, a concerned look on his face. I tried to shrug It off, a weak smile. "It was just a bad dream Nicky, honestly." Hoping that would placate him, he met my gaze and pulled me into hug. "If you're sure, but how about I come sit with you a while…you can try and get some sleep." He paused a second before adding "I'll be the guard dog of your fever dreams" smirking and offering me a hand up. I rolled my eyes before accepting and following him back to bed.

A few hours later I woke up and glanced over at Nicky who sat on the rocking chair beside my bed, a bottle in one hand and my 8 month old in the other. I smiled shuffling up to a sitting position. "Morning, has he been awake long?" He shook his head, before offering to pass Jamie to me. "I'll let you get dressed see you in a bit." I gave him a quick peck on the cheek and smiled as he left the room. "Right munchkin shall we go get some real breakfast?" I was met with a cheeky grin, this boys smile could light up the world. Giving him a quick eskimo kiss I placed him on the bed, propping him on the pillows while I set about getting dressed and we made our way downstairs to the kitchen for breakfast. Once I had Jamie settled in his high chair I plonked myself on a stool beside Nicky, stealing the bit of bacon he was just about to shove in his mouth with a smirk. "Cheers pup" I half choked as I said it. "Yeah thats the price of you for stealing, and disrespecting me." The smile in his eyes gave away his ruse. "Are you sure you two can handle the twins, Rocco AND Jamie?" Elena asked, from behind her coffee mug. "Darlin' they're children, what's more…two of them are mine so yes, I'm positive we can handle them. Anyway if worst comes to worse there's always the cage." Clays southern drawl made it sound positively wicked. I glared at him, at least attempted to, before I could even open my mouth to respond a knife had appeared pointed directly at his heart, and Elena, stifling a laugh answered his statement with a smile at Rachel, "I think what Rach is trying to say is 'do and feel her wrath' and I say you'll end up in the cage before the kids will." With that she reached for the knife which fell, lifelessly into her hand. I nearly fell off the chair laughing at Clayton, Nicky and Jeremys faces and Rachels failed attempts at a straight up 'try me' look. "I see you're fairly mastering your witchy juju then Rach." I managed between laughs and gasps for air. We continued breakfast over chatter and plans for our 'girls night out' in New York. Jeremy had graciously offered to drive us their and take us home that evening, or rather the early hours of the morning. He always felt safer knowing that either himself or Clay was nearby. Even after all these years, he still acted like our Alpha and received the same respect he had always deserved. Paige arrived a few hours later and we all set about getting ready to go out. Nicky, being the fashion conscious one of the pack had picked outfits out for the four of us that in his words 'showed a piece of each of our personalities'. I smiled at him as I kissed Jamie goodbye asking him to look after the his uncles. Paige and Nicky did the whole rekindled love soppy crap before she too walked out the door.

 ***A Few Hours Later***

We ended up in a bar that had live music playing, something that always made me feel good. Well provided the artist was good, and boy he was tonight. I was inexplicably drawn to him, he just seemed to carry himself in such a grand way that oozed power but also what I could only describe as an innate ability to bring order to chaos. Definitely the kind of person you wanted by your side if you had to go to war. I shook the thoughts from my head and smiled, he had obviously seen me staring and caught my eye. I could feel my cheeks going beetroot, but still I stared, transfixed. His head tilted, beckoning me over and I obliged; sure what was there to lose? We chatted for a while about this and that and he bought me a drink, smiling when I sniffed it before drinking. "I don't see many wolves about the city anymore." He said it so nonchalantly that for a second I was so sure I'd misheard him. He read the confused look on my face with ease, "it's okay I'm not about to expose you to the room, I didn't mean to startle you. I figured you knew I was a vampire so thought I'd save you having to tell me you knew." He shrugged. My eyes narrowed, I searched the room for trace of Elena. Wolves had a telekinetic connection to their pack, allowing them to keep in contact over long distance or to lay out battle plans when in situations where even a whisper could have us killed. Finally I pinpointed her and made it clear that he knew what we were, and more importantly I knew what he was, within seconds she was by my side. "Hey Elle, we're thinking of leaving. Rachels getting tired." She linked an arm through mine, loosely. I knew that was so she could easily fight if necessary. "Elle, that's a lovely name. Since I have been less than gentlemanly, my apologies I may add; Elijah, Elijah Mikaelson." He extended his hand to me, I took it not wanting to cause a scene. "Nice to meet you. I enjoyed your music tonight." I smiled back at him. As I turned to leave he handed me a napkin with his number elegantly written alongside a note that simply said "I would love to get to know you…no pressure." I pocketed it, being met with an eyeroll from Elena. We headed out into the night air and made the short walk to the parking lot Jeremy had dropped us off in.

The truck was there, Jeremy was not. His jacket lay abandoned on the front seat. I glanced at Elena, our faces must have mirrored each others…pure worry. While we knew Jer was more than capable of looking after himself it didn't mean we were any less wary of the current situation. Elena started to dial Clay when we heard the distinctive low growl of a wolf in the alley nearby. "Quickly you two, change we can only hide you from view for a few minutes." Paige whispered beside us. Doing as we were told I shed my clothes as fast as possible, a weak smile at Paige in thanks. I stuck my nose in the air a headed in the direction of the alley, Elena hot on my heels. We were met with the sight of Jeremy backed into a corner, 4 men…no wait Vampires. I dived at the closest while Elena did the same. My teeth sank in, ripping flesh and clothing, a pair of hands grabbed my back, throwing me against a wall. Back on my feet I went for the owner of the hands, his warm blood filling my mouth. They were too fast, and kept double teaming us. I was thrown at a wall again; this time I crumpled to the ground, a rain of boots hit my already aching body. I looked up to see Elena being man handled similarly, Jeremy dived at the scum that was attacking her, The stamps hadn't ceased, I felt as though every inch of my body was broken and bleeding. I tried to get up but could barely lift my head, I could have sworn I saw two of our attackers fall to the ground, limp. The blows stopped coming at me, a subtle *thud* as another body hit the floor. I passed out before I could see what happened next, the last thing I remembered was a pair of arms scooping me up.

When I finally regained consciousness it was in the back of Jers truck, a blanket covering my naked body. I could hear Paige and Rachel chanting a spell quietly. My head was on Elena's lap, "She's coming round, no Elle don't try to sit up." She gently placed her hand on my shoulder to keep me in place, I heard a collective sigh of relief from the occupants of the car. "Here, get her to drink this, it'll help." Came a familiar yet strange voice. "Not a chance, I can smell what that is." Elena answered "I have nothing to gain from helping you, yet here I am. My blood will do nothing but help her heal quicker." He replied. "He's right Elena, as Alpha its your choice what to do for this pack and I will support whatever you see fit; my advice to you is that one of our own is possibly bleeding to death and in intense pain, the vampire blood will help that situation." "you're right, but no funny business ok." She sighed before lifting my head, and placing the bottle on my lips so as to pour the salty, bitter liquid down my throat. When we pulled up to the front of the house, Clay and Nicky were outside waiting for us. "In the back, theres 3 bodies that need disposed of and a fourth thats still living that needs thrown in the cage, no not the one downstairs the one in the barn. Don't remove the shackles or the rope, and you don't need to be too gentle either." Elena said after Clay had removed her from a vice like grip. She reached into the vehicle to help me out, lifting the blanket with me, I felt a jacket being draped around my shoulders too and looked round to see Elijah standing there. "Wh…what are you doing here? What's going on?" Elena lead me to the house and onto the couch, turning to quickly invite Elijah in. Something I wasn't entirely sure of but who was I to argue. "i'm going to get you some clothes, make sure the kids are still sleeping. Don't. Move." Whether Elena was talking to me or Elijah I wasn't sure.

"How are you feeling, has the bleeding stopped?" He came closer as if to examine me, but pulled back when he saw me wince. "I don't understand how you found us? Were you following us?" I shot at him, acutely aware of how naked I was, while it didn't bother me in the presence of the pack or Paige, this man was a stranger, an unknown. "Wolves aren't the only supernatural beings with impressive hearing, I heard a commotion and came out to investigate. Saw you in trouble and thought I'd help out." He paused. "You were outnumbered and over powered, had a member of the public come across you, you could have been shot and killed, all they would have seen was a pack of wolves attacking men." Elena reappeared, followed closely by Clay and Nicky. She tossed clothes beside me before lifting up the blanket as a sort of shield while I got dressed. Clay and Nicky had plonked themselves on either edge of the sofa, but now quite sitting down, ready to defend if needs be.

We all talked for a while, discussing what happened trying to figure out why they had targeted Jeremy. Elijah was unsure who they were but would be happy to have a go at finding out from the guy currently shackled in our barn. I got up to get a drink in the kitchen, I needed to clear my head after finding out what had happened, how I had been close to losing my life; to my son growing up an orphan. It didn't sit well with me. Leaning against the counter, trying to centre my breathing. I risked turning if I let myself get too worked up, and in the current mental state I was in I could mistake friend for foe all too easily. "Can we talk?" His smooth voice sent shivers up my spine. "Sure." Was the only thing I could reply. He came towards me, this time I didn't flinch but stood my ground. "I know you don't trust me, it's ok I understand. But I'd like to show you that you can. Theres a connection between us, I don't understand what it is or why but there's a connection." He smiled at me, in a sweet, almost confused manner. I felt my self calming down, slowly. Before I could reply he was directly in front of me, his mouth mere millimetres from my own.


	3. Chapter 3

p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue'; -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; -webkit-text-stroke-color: #000000;"span style="font-kerning: none;""Come on Jimmyjam you can do it!" I held my hands out to the toddler waiting for him to jump from the bed into my arms. "Again uncle Eli, Again!" He giggled. I wilfully obliged, placing him back onto the mattress. *click* I rolled my eyes as she took yet another picture. "You're going to fill that phone up and it'll just be pictures of me and the boy." Smiling as I caught Jamie again, this time putting him over my shoulder and heading towards the pile of cushions she was sitting cross-legged on. "Budge up." I sat down, shoving her lightly with my own hip before spinning the small human round so that he was now sitting on my lap. "Fine, I'll take a selfie then…you can use it as your wallpaper." She smirked, a look that sent my heart into summersaults. "Or…you could take one of the three of us." I reasoned, putting my arm around her shoulders and pulling her in close. We'd been together over a year now, and it had been nothing short of ethereal. For over a 1000 years I'd walked this earth, watching it evolve and grow before my very eyes and yet I'd never once felt a love like this. She was pure magic I was sure of it. /span/p  
p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue'; -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; -webkit-text-stroke-color: #000000; min-height: 12px;" /p  
p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue'; -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; -webkit-text-stroke-color: #000000;"span style="font-kerning: none;"We gathered round the camp fire, the kids running around playing chase. Joining this family, arguably the strongest pack in the whole of America hadn't come without challenges. Wolves were understandably wary of Vampires, we were quicker, stronger and well…immortal. However with time Elena had welcomed me, and once the alpha made her mind up the pack fell into line. "So what's the plan then for tomorrow night?" Elle asked shifting slightly so that she was leaning into me more, her head nuzzled under my chin. "Well we're meeting the alpha of the McClouds and then going from there, you know the drill stay back unless we signal, keep your eyes and ears open incase it's an ambush and above all keep safe." Elena said it so matter of factly, it sounded simple. In reality they were meeting one of the most hot headed alphas in existence, if you so much as looked at him wrong you were in danger. He had been trying to bring Elle into the Scottish Pack for sometime, in light of her Scottish heritage, something she repeatedly declined because in her words, she wouldn't be where she was today without the Danvers Pack, she wouldn't have survived her first change. So I totally understood why her loyalty remained firmly at Stonehaven. I was to stay here with Jeremy and Rachel to make sure the kids were safe. While it bothered me not being there when tensions were so high, I knew that the 4 children in this house were all that mattered. I wrapped my arms around her tighter still. It was too much to bare thinking about not being able to do this any more. Shaking the thoughts from my mind I kissed the top of her head and got up, heading to the swing-set where the children were now playing. A welcome distraction as a 2 and a half year old Jamie ran towards me with arms open wide, the blonde curls and bright blue eyes were enough to make even the darkest days beautiful. /span/p  
p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue'; -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; -webkit-text-stroke-color: #000000; min-height: 12px;" /p  
p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue'; -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; -webkit-text-stroke-color: #000000; min-height: 12px;" /p  
p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue'; -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; -webkit-text-stroke-color: #000000;"strongspan style="font-kerning: none;"***THE FOLLOWING DAY***/span/strong/p  
p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue'; -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; -webkit-text-stroke-color: #000000; min-height: 12px;" /p  
p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue'; -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; -webkit-text-stroke-color: #000000;"span style="font-kerning: none;""Stay safe, don't take any unnecessary risk. Come home to me, to Jamie." She kissed me slowly, almost longingly I didn't ever want to let go but knew I had to. Placing the vial in her hand as I released her. I couldn't be there to heal her, but at least I could help somewhat. She rolled her eyes but pocketed it nonetheless. Another peck on the cheek and she got into the car. "See you later, don't let Jamie stay up to late. Will call you to say good night." She smiled through the open window, winked at me and the car drove away. The next few hours were filled with distracting the kids and keeping myself from thinking./span/p  
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p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue'; -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; -webkit-text-stroke-color: #000000;"strongspan style="font-kerning: none;"***************/span/strong/p  
p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue'; -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; -webkit-text-stroke-color: #000000; min-height: 12px;" /p  
p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue'; -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; -webkit-text-stroke-color: #000000;"span style="font-kerning: none;"Watching and waiting was something that had never been my forte, but yet here I was. "Anything your end?" I soundlessly asked Nicky, "Nope, all quiet on the western front." He replied "can I take Jamie out shopping at the weekend? I've seen a few things I want to get for him and want to make sure he looks like a real dude." I rolled my eyes, "You spoil him too much Nicky, honestly." Before he could reply I heard a noise behind me. "Nicky I got company, don't come yet I'll let you know if I can't handle it." I turned to face the kid that had been sneaking (terribly I may add) up behind me. "Can I help you pup?" I asked, cocking my head to the side, trying to make sure I came across as passive. "You're just the person I was hoping to find, I'm Jason." He had a look that resembled a lion observing its prey on his face, something that didn't help the uneasy feeling I had. "Okay Jason, what can I do for you, I know you're from the McCloud pack, I can smell it. So what exactly are you doing here?" I narrowed my eyes, he was moving closer and I didn't trust it one bit. "Word of advice pup, stop where you are, don't try anything rash." "Less of the pup crap, I'm here to give you a choice. Unite our packs by marrying me willingly or I'll literally take your hand in marriage by any means necessary. My father has told me to use whatever force is required to have you join our pack and that's exactly what I'm going to do." His face was assertive however the slight quiver to his voice gave away his nerves. I couldn't stop myself from laughing at him. "Yeah I'm gonna have to go with option number three and pass. Now walk away before this gets messy. Because if you try to take me you will fail. That is NOT how the American packs work, and the council of the Alphas outlawed arranged, forced marriages for pack unification a long, long time ago. If you try any funny business like that your pack will be stripped of its power and rank meaning you'll be forced to live as mutts." I made sure my voice was steady, even though I was starting to get more anxious of the current situation. Jason drew the knife in a flash, and I quickly and silently let Nick know "Okay be there as soon as I can, there's two more coming your way i'm going to head them off. Stay safe." He quickly responded. "Elena it's a set up, they want me." "I know. *pause* DON'T kill him." She sounded strained. I shook the thought from my head and focussed on the problem in front of me. "Jason, don't do anything stupid." Trying to reason with him wasn't going to get me anywhere, I was going to have to find a way of restraining him. He was right in front of me now, the knife at my throat. "Now are you going to come willingly or will I have to use this." The gleam in his eye was unnerving to say the least. A loud bang behind us distracted him for a second, and he lowered the knife, just as I was making my move he caught himself on and the blade made its way into my side. The roar escaped me before I could even thing of stifling it. I couldn't even hear what he was jabbering on about, my hands were around his throat squeezing with all the strength I could muster. In his attempt to fight me off he dropped the knife, thankfully. He was flailing about aimlessly, trying to thumb at my eyes and remove my hands after what seemed like hours he began to go limp, I used this as my opportunity to get off him and grab the ropes stuffed down my back. Once I had him safely bound I stood up and fished the vial from my pocket; drinking half feeling the wound in my side stitch itself back together. Best not tell Eli about this I thought to myself. Jason started to stir, fidgeting with the ropes. "Don't bother they're fused with Kyanite that's been spelled to stop you changing or breaking them and they're dipped in wolfsbane to weaken you. Just sit tight I'll be back for you in a minute." I lifted up the blade and headed to where Nick was. One of his attackers was knocked out (i hoped) and he was busy wrestling with the second. I quickly bound the one on the ground and was about to turn and help him with the other when I noticed Nick tying him up. He was covered In blood. "NICK!" Rushing to him as he collapsed to the ground. I fumbled to unstopper the vial again and forced the liquid down his throat. "You're not allowed to die on me Sorrentino, JimmyJam won't look like a lil stud without you." I held him closer to me willing him to be okay. "Well judging by your lack of style no he won't sweetheart." He scoffed. "You're lucky you're hurt or I'd punch you in the face. How you feeling?" He was joking which told me he was okay, or at the least going to be. Before he could answer Clay appeared with Elena and the McClouds. /span/p  
p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue'; -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; -webkit-text-stroke-color: #000000; min-height: 12px;" /p  
p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue'; -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; -webkit-text-stroke-color: #000000;"span style="font-kerning: none;"As Elena laid down the terms of the arrangement, Jason stood sheepishly behind his father. Flinching every time someone moved, clearly he was in for a hell of an explaining session with his father. "Are we in agreement?" Elena said it so matter of factly, so finally that I feared she'd straight up tear his heart out if he dared say no. "Of course, and I can only apologise once again for our rash actions, you will have no further problems from my pack and our door is always open to you and yours in Skye." He extended his hand to Elena before turning and leaving, his men following suit. "Are you two okay?" She hugged us both, Clay doing the same only holding me out at arms length to check me over. "I'm fine honestly, I had a little help from Eli." I shrugged, giving Clay a weak smile. Truth be told I was tired, tired of always fighting, tired of always feeling like I might lose everything at any minute. "Lets get back to the hotel, have an early night and that way we can leave early in the morning." Elena looped an arm through mine and headed back down the alley towards the hotel. /span/p  
p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue'; -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; -webkit-text-stroke-color: #000000; min-height: 12px;" /p  
p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue'; -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; -webkit-text-stroke-color: #000000; min-height: 12px;" /p  
p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue'; -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; -webkit-text-stroke-color: #000000;"strongspan style="font-kerning: none;"***Later That Evening***/span/strong/p  
p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue'; -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; -webkit-text-stroke-color: #000000; min-height: 12px;" /p  
p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue'; -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; -webkit-text-stroke-color: #000000;"span style="font-kerning: none;"After we'd eaten dinner we all went to our separate rooms, I called home to say goodnight to Jamie but he was having a major league melt down so that wasn't going to happen without making him worse and giving Eli a greater headache. One thing about my kid, he sure was a mamas boy. I tried and failed to get to sleep, deciding to head out for a walk by the ocean. The sound of the waves was always my happy place, always the one thing guaranteed to calm me down. Leaning against the barricade I just breathed in the salty, fresh scent of the ocean. I lifted my phone to take a picture. I couldn't wait to get back to Stonehaven, back to my boys but equally loved being away. I turned to leave and walked full smack into someone, landing squarely on my backside. My phone spinning through the air. He caught it quickly and offered me a hand up "Sorry love, my fault. Are you okay?" I stood, brushing the dust from the back of my jeans, feeling positively mortified. "Fine, thanks, twas my fault too, was too busy looking at my phone." I replied. His eyes were wide, and he looked as though he'd seen a ghost. When our eyes met I felt a sharp pain in my chest as though my heart had been stabbed and quickly felt for my phone, forgetting it was still in his hand. "He-here this is yours." As he thrust the phone back into my hand the screen lit up with a picture of Elijah and I from a few days previously; if it was possible the strangers blue eyes widened further, his horror-struck look seemed almost heartbroken for want of a better word. His hand went to my cheek, cradling it for a split second and in the blink of an eye he was gone. Great a fucking vampire, just what I needed to be dealing with right now. Heading back to the hotel, being careful to keep my ears on alert for the slightest noise of someone deciding to ambush me, I maybe wasn't as strong or as fast as a vamp but I could sure as hell give it a go. When I opened the door of my room a low growl left my lips before I could stop it. There was a figure lying on my bed. "Oi where have you been I was worried sick." Before I could answer he pulled the duvet open "Get in and get some sleep, you can explain yourself in the morning." I shoved my shoes and jeans off, pulling my hoody over my head in the process and did as I was told. Nicky tossed the duvet over me and within seconds he was sleeping deeply. /span/p  
p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue'; -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; -webkit-text-stroke-color: #000000; min-height: 12px;" /p  
p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue'; -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; -webkit-text-stroke-color: #000000;"span style="font-kerning: none;"My sleep was nothing short of broken, the man from the beach kept showing up and all I wanted to do was run to him but every-time I seemed to get close he disappeared with out a trace and I was left cold and alone. The smell of coffee woke me, as I opened my eyes Nicky stood with a Trenti Starbucks cup in his hand. "I figured you needed this. You were so damn restless last night." He smiled handing it over to me, god this boy knew me better than most. He'd been my best friend for as long as I could remember and could read me like a book. After I had debriefed him on what had happened last night and my dream he rolled his eyes, gave me a hug and simply said "lets go home." Three words I wholeheartedly agreed with. Taking a mouthful of coffee I headed towards the shower. Half an hour later I was dressed and heading towards the lobby with Nick. I couldn't wait to see my boy and my man. As the hours droned on driving home I couldn't help but wonder what had scared off the guy from the beach, shaking his face from my thoughts I glanced out the window and realised we were back in Bear Valley less than 5 minutes from home. As we parked I heard the front door of the house open and multiple footsteps come hurtling towards the garage. I was met by a tiny pair of hands grabbing at my legs with a chorus of "Mama I missed you forever" I laughed as I scooped him up into my arms and snuggled him close. "Mama missed you forever too Jamie." Popping little kisses on his cheeks I moved him to my hip as Eli came strolling over, shirt sleeves rolled up and hair flopping about as he moved, god he was handsome. "Welcome back, how are you? We've missed you as you can tell from the limpet thats stuck to your side right now." He ruffled Jamies curls before enveloping me in a hug, brushing his lips against my forehead. I let my self lean into him, just wanting to be in the moment, home. /span/p  
p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue'; -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; -webkit-text-stroke-color: #000000; min-height: 12px;" /p  
p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #454545;" /p  
p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue'; -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; -webkit-text-stroke-color: #000000;"span style="font-kerning: none;"We informed everyone else what had gone on once the kids were in bed, Elijah's grip of my hand seemed to tighten as the story went on. "Hon you're gonna break my fingers in a sec." I whispered in his ear before kissing his temple. His grip loosened greatly and he snaked his arm around my shoulders. I chose not to tell him about what had happened in the evening because the truth was it wasn't anything major, just a random bumping into by a stranger. At least thats what I kept telling myself. When we eventually got to bed that evening I couldn't wait to just snuggle up beside him, my head on his chest and his arm wrapped around me. I hoped that by being home again the dreams would subside. Oh how wrong I was. /span/p 


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